It was a story that made the news around the province and even had a few people outside of Saskatchewan talking.  Moose Jaw had elected our first female mayor in one of the closest election races for the province.

"... there it is, Deb Higgins is our new mayor!" The official call from 800 CHAB's Rob Carnie resulted in cheers and a round of applause from the gallery in City Council Chambers back in October as we brought you the election results live.  The declaration wasn't made until the last votes had been counted.

"It's a little overwhelming, like it truly is," Higgins said after defeated her only opponent, Fraser Tolmie, by 594 votes.  The realization had the former MLA doing her best to fight back tears.  With her family by her side, she added that serving the people of Moose Jaw is a privilege and it's something she looks forward to doing alongside, what she calls, "a good mix of city councillors."

With her election, Higgins became Moose Jaw's first female mayor, something she insists wasn't a factor in her seeking office.  "It's definitely not why I did this but, certainly, it is a privilege that the people of Moose Jaw felt I was the best person for the job and it just so happens that person is a woman.  It's a pleasure to be able to open one more door for women in the province."

Fraser Tolmie didn't shy away from the spotlight after losing the mayor's race.  The now former city councillor made a point to show up at City Hall after the results were announced. "Tonight, for me, it's about honouring the people that voted and respecting their decision, it's about honouring the people that have served on city council in the past and it's about honouring the future."

Tolmie told us he knew it would be a close race and insists that he doesn't regret running for mayor instead of seeking re-election to city council.  "I am going to miss serving the people of Moose Jaw, but there's opportunities for me," he said.  "I've been able to do a little bit of consulting for some people and politics is not out of my horizon.  I look forward to what the future brings."

Former Mayor Glenn Hagel was watching closely as the election results were reported. He expected a close race and knew it would come down to the wire.

"We had two candidates with very different kinds of experience," said Mayor Glenn Hagel.  "Deb's involves governance at the provincial level and she brings a mountain of experience, contacts and approach and Fraser's experience was as a first-time councillor entirely focused Moose Jaw."

"Along with Deb being the first woman in the history of Moose Jaw to serve as mayor, we have got a council that is now equally made up of men and women and, what they says to me, is that this is a progressive little city that we've got here and the reality has been proven that there is no glass ceiling when it comes to politics in the city of Moose Jaw."